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Home water heater replacement

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pauleyman

DSM Wiseman
9,282
3,531
Nov 19, 2011
oklahoma city, Oklahoma
When I can't find good info I turn to the good folks here. The internet is full of conflicting info on which brand is best etc etc. Brings me to this.

Is there a difference between big box store and the same unit at a plumbing supply? Same part number.

I'm looking at rheem from home depot. I like Bradford white also but I'm not sure I can even buy one and they don't warranty unless professionally installed.

I also need to decide should I replace the shutoff valve, arrestors etc? I really loathe plumbing work but it has to be done. I also want to jump up to a 50 gal so I have to redo everything. Was thinking I'll just cutoff the old stuff and start fresh from the copper stub.

Thoughts? Opinions?
 
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Paul, have you checked into PECs (IDK if that spelling is correct). Very easy to use with shark bite fittings that adapt to your current setup. My shit is OLD so yours should be better than mine.
I replaced mine 3 or 4 yrs ago.
Good luck, drain with a water hose from the bottom.

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The reviews on home depot for rheem are all over the place and lots more low ones than I would've figured.
 
This is a fairly lengthy one, but hope it helps!
FWIW, in my last house we had gotten, I believe, the 40gal rheem gas water heater.. can't remember which specific one, but I think it was one of the lower priced models (i.e. wasn't one of the fancy ones with like wifi connectivity or whatever they had LOL). I kind of went with that as my dad used to do HVAC and Rheem furnaces/ air conditioners are the brand he always sold and theyve always seemed to be good quality. I don't remember exactly how long we had it but I feel like it was around 2-2.5 years. Eventually we noticed some water under our vinyl plank flooring (lived on a concrete slab, so no basement or anything). Don't know/ remember exactly where, but the tank had started to rust or develop pin holes I believe toward the bottom of the tank; wasn't a major amount of water that had leaked, just enough to go under the flooring and in front of that closet and the bathroom immiediately next to said closet. Only noticed when stepping on said flooring)
Anyway, that being said, I was aggravated that it only lasted like 2 years.. fortunately though it was still covered under warranty. I contacted rheem, I think with in a day or 2 they sent me (via email) what I needed to go up and get a refund/ different one at home depot. That process was all pretty painless, other than removing and reinstalling the water heater (I loathe plumbing.. and it seems to share the same feelimgs toward me LOL).I did go ahead and get another rheem unit, but I got like the next series up (had to cover the cost difference out of pocket) which I believe had a longer warranty. I put that one in, with one of those metal pans you can put underneath to contain water, and didn't have an issue with that one.. I was however only at the house another 1-2 years IIRC. Functionally though the heater seemed to do a good job, I didn't have any issues there. It would kind of run out if I had the shower going for 45mins-1hr and other things running at the same time (washer, dishwasher), but I don't think they to be unusual given the conditions. When i have to get another one, I'll still likely go with a rheem..
I would also like to say, my new house came with a tankless and I would highly recommend going that route if you're able. I think they're more expensive, but I can have the washer, dishwasher, and shower on for like 1-2 hrs and it's still pumping out just as hot as if it were only the shower going.. have had 0 issues with it keeping up thus far and I believe it to be a few years old IIRC.
 
I've used sharkbites. I still have a hard time trusting them. Like 5 10 15 years from now how are they.? I've seen sweat fittings that are ancient. No leaks.
 
Coming up on about 5 years ago my water heater rusted threw & was leaking. I decided to switch to tankless & got a Navian from Amazon & has a 25yr warranty. Did the conversion install myself & purchased all the materials from SupplyHouse.com. Everything in peachy. Supplyhouse is about 1/3 the cost of HD or Lowes & ended up costing me less than paying someone. Best decision, instant hot water forever, & couldn't be more pleased. Navian is the king of tankless & all the others are crap. They're the most efficient & only need 1/2 gas feed where all the others show 3/4 gas.

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Mello would you share which model you chose please?? I've not researched any of this to the degree I want to just yet. If I'm lucky I'll have enough time to do so.
 
I got the Navien 240A. Navien has the S series & the A series each in 3 sizes. The 240A is the top of their line. When I did this the difference in price between the smallest 120S to the 240A was only $200. The A (Advance) come with internal recirculation pumps. The 240 is large enough that 2 people can shower, run the washer, and still run hot water at the faucets in the middle of winter at like 10 degree outside temps.
 
I'm a good, maybe better than average DIY but I'm not sure i want to tackle this. Lots of unknowns. i've sweated fittings before but I never completely knew if my job was good. No formal training. Easy to do I suppose but....
Expense seems high vs just going back with a traditional unit. I don't have power in the water closet either so there is more to do.
 
Actually it was fairly easy. This was my first time doing this. I would say sweating the pipes is no harder than soldering. I planned my setup with isolation valves so I could do future stuff by just closing valves. Also had to add check valve & expansion tank because of local ordinances which was stupid because there is no stored water in tankless system but politician shouldn't play engineers. The heater only need a regular wall outlet to run the piezo igniter & fan (low amperage).
 
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Did you pull your own permit? I know in my local city I can't do that. Doesn't mean I won't install to code. It means they won't even inspect it unless a licensed contractor installed.
 
No I just looked up the codes & did it so it would pass if i need to sell my house in the future. Only thing I should mention is tankless heaters need soft water, hard water will screw them up quickly. I have a water softener.
 
Coming up on about 5 years ago my water heater rusted threw & was leaking. I decided to switch to tankless & got a Navian from Amazon & has a 25yr warranty. Did the conversion install myself & purchased all the materials from SupplyHouse.com. Everything in peachy. Supplyhouse is about 1/3 the cost of HD or Lowes & ended up costing me less than paying someone. Best decision, instant hot water forever, & couldn't be more pleased. Navian is the king of tankless & all the others are crap. They're the most efficient & only need 1/2 gas feed where all the others show 3/4 gas.

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So thats a combi boiler looking at it. Most UK houses have this system as its more economical and works better then a water tank heater. More compact also. On all the housing out in the US they must be big enough to heat up fast! We have a small baxi combi and it does out 1 bed house ok. Wouod not work well in a 2 or 3 bed house though.

These units are the way forward i think. Pretty basic and simple and the copper lines once setup last a long time. I feel as if most modern homes anywhere in the world should use these vs heater tanks
 
Im going to bump my own thread here. I blew this job off last year but it's leaking like crazy now so it's imminent. I'm leaning towards tankless now. Any new comments?
 
I would go tankless if you can, but gas not electric.
As far as brands go from previous posts, everything is equal junk nowadays. Quality of water will determine longevity more than anything in most cases.
Shark bites are fine, we are even allowed to bury them in walls and concrete here now. As long as they are seated properly and pipes deburred/cleaned you won’t have any problems, really a great invention. Something most don’t know though is they are for CPVC and copper, but when installing on copper you are supposed to pull the plastic insert in the middle out and discard. Just grab with needle nose and pull straight out.
 
Im not worried about the fittings. I am leaning towards a professional install unless I find serious motivation. I just hate the fact that you can't pull your own permit and have it inspected. We had a local bill here awhile back to allow it but it got shut down
 
I still stand by all my earlier comments. My Navien tankless has been one of my best decision and couldn't be more pleased. On/off with a push of a button, hot water in 60 seconds, and can change water temp as easy as scrolling to set the value. I use 120F for showering & general use but will crank it to 180F when de-greasing with my pressure washer (the washers max rated temp not the heater's).
As far as permits (blah, blah), it's just another government imposed funds raiser to keep themselves in business. Lookup & follow the codes & it will be fine if you're not planning to sell in the next couple years it won't matter. I'm still trying to figure out why hairdresser's need to be licensed. All I see is another way to extract money from us citizens.
 
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As a contractor I can fully assure you permits are nothing about keeping us safe. It’s about money and the government is wanting more of yours.

I am a contractor although I work very closely with a friend who’s dad is licensed in electric and plumbing and holds a refrigerant license. Needless to say I am and we are a one stop shop.

I see you said professional install. Most bigger companies around here charge an outrageous amount and then the people actually doing the work are far from “professional”.

Also I understand you can bury shark bites in the walls and it passes code but that’s something we won’t do. Stop being lazy and sweat the copper, Crimp the pex, Glue the cpvc whatever you are using

Point is I see a lot of homeowners being taken advantage of and receiving sub par workmanship and quality of material. Choose who you do business with wisely as most people could care two shits if your house is fine when they leave. Looks good from my house is the go to phrase for these types.

idk where you live but I know I wouldn’t last LOL.

-Daniel
 
Figured I’d add that supply house is a great place. We buy most of our plumbing items there in bulk and it’s less than half at big box stores. I seen it was recommended above and I would agree.

However be mindful of the shark bites you get from there. The name brand real shark bites have a white insert that was mentioned above about removing for certain pipe. The ones at supply house are clear and much flimsier. They also do not have the shark logo etched in the side. I have had many of them leak straight out of the bag from supply house. It’s uncommon for the real shark bites to leak IME.

FWIW it’s worth I’ve used both on every pipe that it will fit pex, copper, cpvc I typically never remove the inside centering piece either.

Sorry Paul, I know you said you don’t care about the fittings but figured I’d mention it for others that are watching and are the DIY type.

-Daniel
 
I agree that some permits seem like formalism without benefit. Not sure I’d extend that to electrical, structural, or septic, though. As has already been noted here, government agencies and private contractors are both capable of diligence and care, or apathy and neglect. Either way it comes down to lack of integrity and leadership from above. Vote and hire wisely.

If you can’t find a plumber you trust, do it yourself. It’s definitely not harder that replacing the oil pump on your eclipse.
 
I appreciate all the responses. Now I'm leaning towards me doing it myself. I've done down to stud bathroom remodels. I'm afraid of nothing. I can do this install I'm just slow. I think some careful planning can speed up the process.
If you guys know any gotchas from tabk to tabkless let me know. I would really like to go with a condensing unit but then it looks like I need a pvc exhaust, which changes the roof penetration. It never ends.
 
Navien's are condensing. Exhaust & intake can be PVC. I just ran the new PVC exhaust into the opening of my leftover tank water heater exhaust. Was very simple. You should be able to slip a tankless into the same space the tank heater was in, connect the water in to in, out to out, I'm natural gas so gas to gas, plus an electrical plug for the tankless electronic controllers. Because the tankless hangs (about 70#) I mounted a 3/4" thick, 4x4ft piece of plywood to the wall studs & screwed the tankless hanger bracket to the plywood. Before starting I downloaded the install instruction, the local codes, planned out the plumbing, and purchased everything in advance. I suggest getting the specific ball valve set for taking the heater off & on-line for periodic cleaning & vinegar flushing to remove deposit build up. You can see these under the heater with the red & blue valve handles in my picture. The harder your water the more frequent you will need to flush to remove deposits & was water softener will help reduce the deposit build up. If your a single story and all the faucet openings are all at abut the same level your done otherwise you will need to do some pump head pressure calculations & flow matching. I did all the hanging & construction stuff the day before so only the plumbing was remaining. Did the plumbing the next day & took about a half day from water main shut off to back on.
 
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